By Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, Sept. 3 (HealthDay News) -- In 2010, more than 200,000 Americans under 75 died from heart disease and stroke that could have been prevented, health officials said Tuesday.
Sadly, more than half of those who died were under 65, according to a new report released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"As a doctor, I find it heartbreaking to know that the vast majority of people who are having a heart attack or stroke, under the age of 65 in particular, and dying from it didn't have to have that happen," CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden said during a noon press conference.
But progress has been made, Frieden said. "The rate of preventable deaths from heart disease and stroke decreased by nearly 30 percent between 2001 and 2010," he noted.
Most of this progress, however, has been made among those older than 65. And while these are the people who have the highest risk, most of preventable deaths happen to people under 65. "In that group progress has been much slower," Frieden said.
This dichotomy may be because those 65 and older have Medicare with its access to screening and treatment, Frieden suggested.
But where a person lives is also a factor in the equation, he added. "It's unfortunate, but your longevity may be more likely to be influenced by your ZIP code than by your genetic code," he said. "In fact, what we have seen is a striking convergence of risk factors in the Southern states."
Race and ethnicity also play a part, with blacks at twice the risk of dying from heart disease or stroke unnecessarily than whites, Frieden stated. "In fact, race is the single largest contributor to racial differences in life expectancy," he pointed out.
Sex is also a contributor, with men twice as likely to die from a preventable heart attack or stroke than women, the findings showed.
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200,000 Heart Disease, Stroke Deaths Could Be Prevented: CDC